Are the Envy's problems over yet?

When the Envy first came out, I was reading how it was TOO hot and people's laptop case were getting warped and it started to wobble. I read how the radiance displays were having some problem and they were pulled off. And the "flexing" of the keyboard. It seems HP has made revisions to th Envy line by giving an extra 1 mm of thickness for air flow ( more or less) and added more grills on the bottom. Honestly, I'm waiting for the next refreshes for when all these problems are gone. I am still on a dv6500t, so my fan is loud. Have they resolved all these problems yet?

 

As far as I know, the misaligned trackpad, uneven keyboard backlight, loose hinge, and keyboard flex (its minor now, not a big deal) is all solved. At least it was in mine and 3 other people who recently ordered (end of December)

 

Yes.... for the most part. It seems HP has actually listened to complaints...ans seen returns do to heat, flex, etc..are have responded...now we are about to get coolsense... and hopefully other goodies.


KJ

 

I'm still wondering the same thing, I read so much about trackpads not completely flushed, cpu whine, dead pixels, misaligned logo, keyboard flex, etc. It seems that recently no one has complained anymore, that's a good sign! I'll let you know next week when the one I bought from Amazon arrives . I'm praying it'll be perfect!

 

I returned my brand new Envy 17 3D to Fry's today because the insane heat from the left palm rest and keyboard wobble.

 

Oh so you mean problems that 90% of laptops from large manufacturers experience? I would say any laptop you order from almost any company has the potential to have many of these problems. For example, the cpu whine is an intel iCore issue, not specific to HP (I had the whine on a Sony Vaio).

For what it's worth, I received my Envy 14 in early December and its basically flawless. No cpu whine, no keyboard flex, no lose hinge, trackpad is flush, no dead pixels, etc... The one problem it does have is a slightly uneven keyboard backlight; however, all the keys are still well lit, there is just one spot (around the number 8) that isn't as bright.

I consider myself lucky that the only issue is a barely noticeable uneven keyboard backlight. This Envy is by far the most solidly built PC laptop I've ever owned.

 

You have to remember this place is full of the vocal MINORITY. The Envy line as a whole has some every high ratings.

I had a Beats that the LCD died on so I returned it. What did I do just an hour ago? Order another Envy.

 

I can't comment on the other issues. I have no doubt that there have been problems with some people's machines just the nature of manufacturing these days. Low cost and little testing. This is not just an issue with laptops.

That said, My Envy 14 from Amazon (arrive Sat) is working great.

I thought about the radiance screen but I worry the fonts will be too small and I will use it generally with a monitor attached.

BTW - So far I am loving this machine. I have been using Laptops/Notebooks since the early 90's. For the money the Envy 14 really is nice. I was down between the Envy and the Samsung QX410. Both are nice but I like the better camera, the esata port and the faster HD on the Envy.

 

I bought my envy 14 in November. I'm happy with it but have the following problems:

1. Trackpad sits a little high and touches the screen when the laptop is closed
2. keyboard flex is just awful practically everywhere- this is by FAR my biggest problem. Not to be arrogant, but I'm reaaally good at typing and after coming from a Lenovo (best keyboard of any laptop maker by far) this really pisses me off. I'll eventually get around to removing the keyboard and trying to add some "pads" in the bad spots as atleast one person did to relieve the problem

 

Trackpad is just fine, in my opinion. I know some people like to be able to move the mouse pointer with index finger while their thumb rests on the area of trackpad where LMB lies. The problem people are having is that is very hard with Envy's trackpad, mouse pointer movements get erratic and unpredictable. I just downloaded envy TouchPad app available here in the forum and "transformed" my trackpad to a "tap-only solution", where 2 finger tap is RMB, 3 finger is MMB - I recommend this setting. I have had no problems with it. As for the trackpad being too high - yeah, it might be an issue if You don't care to keep Your laptop clean. I make sure it is clean, with no dust etc. before I close the lid, so I didn't see any problems with that whatsoever.

Keyboard flex - I have some slight flex on the right side (most apparent near "O" button). No flex at all on left side.I don't have any problem with that, because it is only plausible when applying a really high pressure to the buttons - something that doesn't happen with casual, day-to-day writing.


For me at least, the problems aren't really big - but if I were you, I'd wait for a refresh line. Why buy a laptop with older technology inside? Sandy Bridge seems like the future.

PS I have had no other issues, of course. The backlight is even, the hinges hold the screen just fine. Bought mine in August 2010. The only minor gripes are a quiet CPU whine when some USB device is plugged in (I believe most, if not all, laptops have this problem) and that it gets quite loud after about an hour of hardcore gaming - Starcraft 2 in my case.)

 

Not really, no point in waiting and paying a fat 50% premium for just 15% better performance and maybe 5-10% battery gain. And who knows when it comes out ...

If you can't wait, Lenovo has a $500 coupon for their Sandy Bridge 14" Y460 with a 2640QM and a Radeon 6550M. However you would not get the long battery life (6 cell vs envys' 8 cell) nor the great radiance screen. lenovo doesnt seem to have a slice battery either.

 

Unnecessarily rude posts have been deleted.

 

Have you had a problem with clicking? People were saying how because of the left click and right click was part of the pad itself that when they were trying to press the pad to click that it would move the cursor which you can imagine how frustrating that can be.

 

I recall it was hit or miss with the first batch of Envy's that shipped.

It's a good thing HP has a 21 day, no questions asked, return policy. So if you get a bum one, return it. Don't let them talk you into going through warranty repair. Just return it and buy another one.

Also, if you have a best buy around near you, they might have the Envy on display. Or at least its 15 or 17 cousin. It will give you an idea of what the 14 is like. Though, likely they won't have the one with Radiance display.

 

As far as the Envy 17 3D is concerned if the Sandy Bridge upgrade fixes the overheating issues then I'll gladly buy it. I returned my Envy 17 3D two days ago. Switchable graphics, better battery life, cooler running, slightly better graphics card and a much much better cpu make waiting the obvious choice.

 

And according the jeff5885's HP rep, there is going to be an announcement this Thursday Jan. 20th regarding Sandy Bridge and the Envy line! Hopefully our patience will pay off.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/548315-hp-update-jan-16-2011-a.html

KJ